The Wizard (1989)

A boy and his brother run away from home and hitch cross country with the help of a girl they meet to compete in the ultimate video game championship.

Director:

Todd Holland

Writer:

David Chisholm

Stars:

Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Edwards	...	Jimmy Woods / The Wizard
Vince Trankina	...	Tate (as Vincent Leahr)
Wendy Phillips	...	Christine Bateman
Dea McAllister	...	Counselor
Sam McMurray	...	Bateman
Beau Bridges	...	Sam Woods
Fred Savage	...	Corey Woods
Christian Slater	...	Nick Woods
Will Seltzer	...	Putnam
Roy Conrad	...	Bus Clerk
Jenny Lewis	...	Haley
Roderick Dexter	...	Trucker #1 / Wrecking Yard Man
Ray Bickel	...	Trucker #2
Chuck Skinner	...	Grease Monkey
W.K. Cowan	...	Salesman #1

Storyline

Corey and Jimmy Woods are two brothers who are being separated due to their parents divorcing. Jimmy is a mentally unstable kid that has had problems ever since his sister died at a young age. One day, Corey discovers that Jimmy has a natural talent for playing video games. He is one of the best around, and the two journey to the West Coast to compete in a video game championship, but along the way, they must avoid the adults, who are trying to take Jimmy away.

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Plot Keywords:

nintendo | girl | 1980s | kiss | hitchhiking | 

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Taglines:

It's more than a game... It's the chance of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Brazil

Language:

English Brazilian Sign Language

Release Date:

15 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vidéokid

Filming Locations:

Nevada, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$14,278,900

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions, Pipeline Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Also Fimed in Gardnerville,Nevada.

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Goofs

When Nick's father plays Zelda II: The Adventure of Link at the mechanic, Nick unplugs the video game controller from the console, and the console stops. In real life, it would stay on.

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Quotes

Putnam: [talking on the phone about Haley] I touched her breast. She doesn't have any breasts!

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Alternate Versions

When shown on Nickelodeon, all profane language is cut, along with the "he touched my breast" line (and, of course, all subsequent references to that line.)

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Connections

Referenced in Shameful Sequels: Marmaduke (2015)

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Soundtracks

I Live By The Groove
Written by Paul Carrack and Eddie Schwarz
Performed by Paul Carrack

User Reviews

Love Nintendo, and (sorry) love this movie

The fond memories I had of this flick from my youth were not disappointed when I finally caught up with it again recently.

Its simply a great kids adventure. Many claimed at the time that it was little more than a rather enormous advert for Nintendo, and it is. But they bothered to make a decent movie out of it as well. I remember how excited I was at the prospect of Super Mario Bros 3, and this movie plays up to those expectations very entertainingly.

If you love videogames, the film is a fascinating cultural artifact. If you are a youngster, you should thoroughly enjoy a very well maintained adventure, with surprisingly few flaws.

It may sound pretentious, but for what it is, it is near flawless. Go figure!